1979 Porsche 930 Turbo


Details

The Porsche story is a fascinating one and its roots go back to the 1930’s when Professor Ferdinand Porsche was instrumental in the design of the first Volkswagen and also Auto Union race cars. By 1939 he had built three Porsche cars to compete in the 800-mile race from Berlin to Rome. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to the war and Porsche was forced to focus on supporting the German war effort, however, he had always wanted to build his own cars. In 1944 Porsche was forced to leave Stuttgart and he set up a small operation in Gmünd, Austria. Soon after the Porsche family and many of their engineers were captured and sent to jail. Ferdinand Porsche’s son. Ferdinand junior, or ‘Ferry’ as he was known, was released six months later and he returned to Gmünd to rebuild the family company. Things moved quickly and Porsche was involved with cars again and in mid-1948 the first Porsche 356 was built. It is understood Porsche built some 50 aluminium bodied cars by hand in their small factory at Gmünd before relocating back to Stuttgart, Germany. The rest they say is history as the 356 evolved into one of the most successful sports cars ever built. A hard act to follow indeed . . . but its replacement, the Porsche 911 went on to become a legend!

The evolution of the Porsche 911 is probably the greatest sports car story of all time. First introduced in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and then designated as a 901, the successor to the 356 took the world by storm. To avoid conflict with Peugeot, who claimed exclusive rights to car names with three digits having a ‘zero’ in the middle, the car was renamed as 911. The first production 911 was built in 1964 and it was powered by an air cooled 1991cc 6-cylinder engine. The car evolved with increases in engine capacity to 2.2 litres, 2.4 litres, 2.7 litres, 3.0 litres and 3.3 litres. There were styling changes also, but one always recognised the car as a 911. Today the first series of 911’s is recognised as the cars built from 1963 to 1989 and include the very popular Porsche 911 and 930 Turbo models. Of these the ‘small bumper’ or ‘pre impact bumper’ cars built up to 1973 are today regarded as the real classic 911, however, that comes at a price. In the last few years astute collectors and enthusiasts have seen great value in 1970’s and 1980’s model 911’s.

There were many significant incarnations of the 911 and arguably one of the most important was the introduction of the Porsche Turbo. Whilst Porsche had toyed with turbo charging previously, and indeed used it successfully on their race cars, it wasn’t until the introduction of the Porsche 930 Turbo (also known as the Porsche Turbo or Porsche 911 Turbo in some markets) that turbo charging was available on a Porsche production car.

The Porsche 930 Turbo was first shown at the Paris Motor Show in late 1974 and the car entered production the following year. At the time the car caused an absolute sensation. It was easily distinguishable from the ‘standard’ 911 by its body shape and specifically by its distinctive wide wheel arches that had to accommodate the ultra low profile Pirelli P7 tyres and of course the large rear spoiler or ‘whale tail’. Powered by a 2996 cc 6 cylinder turbo charged engine delivering 260hp the car was exhilarating to drive and by today’s standards incredibly raw. These early cars are known for their exhilarating acceleration coupled with challenging handling characteristics and extreme turbo lag. The acceleration was neck snapping reaching 0-100 km/hr in just over 5 seconds and the top speed was quoted to be ‘in excess of 250 km/hr’.

In period, the car was recognised in the same company as the Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Boxer and Aston Martin Vantage as one of THE ‘supercars of the 70′s’.

Porsche made its first significant change to the Turbo in 1979 when the engine capacity was increased to 3299 cc, an intercooler was added and the brakes upgraded. In this guise the car was produced for a decade being ultimately succeeded by the 964 series in 1990.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a stunning 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo.

Finished in the special order colour of platinum metallic this euro model car has the top spec engine of the early 930 Turbos. Check out the interior, which is finished in black leather with red/blue tartan cloth inserts and door cards. Just wow . . . it is a real feature of this car!

There is documentation on file from Porsche that confirms this to be a German delivered car. The original service book confirms that the car was delivered on the 9th June 1979 to a Karl Wilhelm Temke from Bielefeld in north western Germany.

The car then found its way to South Africa. The service book notes the next and what is understood to be the second owner as the Lauvra Whittal Family Trust from Honeydew on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The car’s second or 20,000 km service is stamped by Carrera Motors from Randburg (Johannesburg) in South Africa on the 31st March 1982 at 25,379 km. There is what looks to be a Porsche factory or dealer sticker on the inside page of the service book with a date of 16/02/1982 which is probably when the car arrived in South Africa.

The car remained in continuous ownership for the next 30 years. The car was sold from a deceased estate and prior to that it had been parked up in storage for many years. With circa 100,000 km on the odometer was car was described as real time capsule, though the paint and interior were showing their age. The car’s new owner decided to embark on a journey of returning this fabulous 930 Turbo to its former glory. The car was repainted in its original colour and the interior was refurbished, which included importing new tartan cloth from Germany, new carpets & hood lining. Given the car had been sitting for many years, the owner decided to strip and rebuild the engine and gearbox.

The car was then imported into Australia in early 2019 joining an eclectic collection. It was sold in late 2020 to its current owner, who is based outside Adelaide in South Australia. At that time the odometer was 108,237 km. He also has an eclectic collection of cars and has used the car from time to time travelling around 2,000 km in his ownership.

Today the car presents and drives exceptionally well. There are a few small blemishes in the paint, but overall it is in excellent condition and it still retains an excellent depth of colour and high gloss. The rubber trim often shows wear on this era 911/930 and on this car it all presents exceptionally well. All of the other exterior trim, including the glass (which is most likely original), the lights/lenses, the badges and the wheels are also in good condition.

The interior is so ‘seventies cool’ and a real feature of this car. The black leather is most likely original and in very good condition. It contrasts beautifully with the red/blue tartan cloth seat inserts and door cards which present ‘as new’.  The dashboard is similarly fine without cracks or warping and the gauges and switches are correct and in excellent cosmetic condition showing vivid colour, bright needles, and exceptional detailing. The headlining is also ‘as new’, though the sun visors are original and like many Porsches of this era the foam has started to disintegrate.

Under the front bonnet the compartment is clean and tidy. The often damaged carpet is in good condition. Similarly, the engine bay is also very clean and dry.

Out on the open road this car is an absolute delight to drive. The engine pulls like a train and on boost the acceleration is breathtaking. It is very common that the gear linkages are sloppy in this era of 911 and 930, but not on this car. The car handles, steers and stops as you would expect.

Being a country car it would benefit from a detail.

The car has its book set, including its original service book, spare wheel and jack.

Today the odometer reads 110,130 km.

Highlights:

  • A beautifully presented and unmolested Porsche 930 Turbo.
  • A unique and STUNNING colour combination.
  • Original colours and matching numbers.
  • Three owner car with original books and only 110,130km on the odometer.
  • The car drives every bit as good as it looks!

Specification

  • Porsche 930 Turbo
  • 1979
  • Coupe
  • Manual
  • 110,130 km
  • 3299cc

SOLD

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